Nothing's Thicker than Blood
by Serafi
Summary: Ayato gathers all of his siblings except Reiji together in an effort to rescue Laito from his wrongful imprisonment in the cellar. He manages to free his brother and slowly coaxes him back to life again. When Laito is finally coherent, he realizes that despite what his treacherous mother told him, someone still loves him...four someones, to be specific.


**For Kimiko_Akashiya. I hope everyone has a box of tissues handy. **

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><p>Kanato peered around the corner and watched the black car speed out of sight. He flipped his head to the side and nodded to his older brother, who was hiding in the hedgerow. "They're gone!"<p>

Ayato ducked beneath the low-hanging branches of a willow tree and crawled around to the other side of the building. Kanato's footsteps pitter-pattered after him, and he waited until the violette caught up to proceed. The two vampires halted before a large pair of wooden doors with a chain stretched about it, leading into the family cellar.

"Stay here and keep a sharp lookout," explained the eldest. "Give a yell if you see anyone suspicious, namely Reiji."

The younger bobbed his head and watched his brother snap the chain like a weak thread. He strode around to the corner of the house and looked this way and that.

The cellar was musty and damp when Ayato finally got the doors open. Dust flew up from the floor as he cautiously padded down the stairs. He reached the bottom and a sickening, pungent stench slapped him full in the face. His eyes watered and his face paled when he spotted the source of the smell across the room.

"Laito!" he cried and rushed over.

Tethered to the stone wall with a silver chain was his youngest twin. There was hardly any flesh left on his body, mostly thin skin stretched over a sharp frame of bones that jutted out around his hips, ribs, and shoulders. There were dark bruises all over his exposed torso and legs, and one around his left eye.

"H-Huh…? Who…?" murmured the brunette as he tried to open his one good eye. He winced at the sight of a strange visitor, half-expecting a vicious blow to the chest or head again. Instead, a pair of cool hands gently alighted on his shoulders, and then one moved to cup his face. "A-Ayato…?" he breathed.

"I'm gonna get you out of here," soothed the older vampire, rubbing his cheek. "Just hold still and try to keep quiet." He stood and gripped the chain between his fingers, and damn, did it burn. Grunting and pushing past the pain, he pulled with all the strength he had and broke it. The shackles around Laito's hands fell to the floor. "Easy, 'kay? Take it slow."

Laito weakly looped an arm around his neck and felt himself lifted from the floor. Ayato carried him up the stairs and into the moonlight. Fresh air crowded his lungs all at once, and he gagged and retched.

"L-Laito…?" asked Kanato when he saw his brother, eyes wide with terror.

"He'll be fine," reassured his older brother with a smile, "but I have to get him in the house first. Lead the way, and keep an eye out."

Kanato swallowed hard and led them around the corner, up the front steps, and into the main foyer. All seemed quiet around the house until they started ascending the grand staircase, and that was when Kanato spotted an unwanted spectator on the level above.

"_What _are you doing?" demanded the blonde-haired woman, glowering down at them with her icy blue eyes. "I believe my husband specifically requested that creature to be locked up. He – "

Ayato whispered to Kanato, "Deal with her. I have to get Laito to my room."

Beatrix hardly frightened Kanato, and he was more than happy to torment her for a while. He just grinned back at his brother and approached the vampiress. She backed away from him and the big argument began while Ayato made his escape.

"Where am I?" asked Laito in a slight mutter. His swollen eye open some and he frantically glanced around the room. "A-Ayato? Where…?"

"Shh. We're in my room now. You're safe." Ayato gently laid his twin on the bed and pulled the sheets over him. Sharp stabs of remorse struck him in the chest when Laito shivered beneath his touch and shied away from him. "God, Laito, what the hell did they – "

"Jesus Christ…" came a third voice from the doorway.

Ayato spun on his heels and came face-to-face with their youngest sibling, Subaru. A sigh escaped him and he flopped down on the mattress. "You almost gave me a fucking heart attack, Subaru," he breathed and looked back at Laito. "I brought him up from the basement. He…"

The snowy-haired vampire frowned and stammered, "C-Can I help?"

A soft smile warmed Ayato's features. "Bring me some water and a washcloth, could ya? I need to clean him up."

Subaru nodded and took another look at his older brother, Laito, curled up on the bed in a protective ball. His heart ached at the sight, and he quickly ran off to retrieve what Ayato requested. After he returned, Ayato set about the laborious task of washing his younger twin's wounds and tending to his bruises.

"Would you do me another favor?" asked the redhead, glancing over his shoulder at Subaru. "Tell Shu what's happened, and that the old man ain't here anymore. He'll know what to do." Before Subaru bolted out the door, he stopped him and called to him, "And don't tell Reiji anything about it!"

Laito's breathing was slower and softer now. His one open eye remained on his older twin, watching him fuss and worry over him. Joints popped and bones crackled as Laito lifted his hand to touch Ayato's face.

"T-Thank you," he said with a warmth that Ayato wasn't accustomed to hearing. "I know what a…pain in the ass…I'm…"

"Stop talking so much. Here," Ayato whispered and put his hand into Laito's mouth, "drink."

Tears misted over Laito's green eye and beneath the closed lid of his swollen eye. His lips quivered around Ayato's hand, and he gently bit down. Blood bubbled up from the wound and drip-dropped into his mouth. His dry throat rejected the sustenance offered, and he threw his head to one side, gagging.

"I-I can't…" he simpered.

The redheaded vampire frowned and wove fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him. "You _can_. Just try again." He turned Laito's face towards him and pushed his wounded hand into his lips. "Try sipping slower this time. That's it."

Laito adjusted much better this time, and soon he was sucking avidly at the open tear in his brother's hand. Ayato never asked or demanded that he stop, not once. After he felt sated, he pulled away from Ayato's hand and kissed one of his knuckles, holding his hand close to his cheek.

"I lo – "

An odd, squeaky noise interrupted Laito's speech. Ayato sputtered with laughter and rasped, "Aww, does baby have the hiccups?"

"S-Shut up…" murmured the brunette below him. A faint pink dusted his puffy cheeks and he looked away from his brother, hiccupping into the sheets. "Hnn…I-I sound like S-Subaru."

"Sit up for a sec." Ayato put his arms around the other vampire and gently lifted him off the bed, letting Laito's bony frame settle against his chest after. "There ya go. I'll get rid of the big, bad hiccups for you."

Laito weakly protested, "H-How? What are you gonna…" His voice quieted when he felt those slender finger trace soothing circles over his back. A little sigh escaped him and he held onto Ayato for dear life. "Ahh, that feels nice…"

"Good," whispered Ayato, "now fucking belch already, will ya?" He repeatedly pat Laito's back until a loud 'urp' echoed behind him. He would've chuckled at his twin's expense, but the smaller bones of Laito's spine protruded between his fingers as he made his way up Laito's back. "Why don'tcha sleep now? You must be tired." He laid Laito on the pillow and pulled the covers over him again.

The younger gasped and grasped his twin's sleeve when he got up to leave. "W-Where are you going?" he asked in a desperate tone of voice. "Please, don't leave me…"

"I have important stuff to take care of, and then I'll be back, 'kay? I won't be long." Ayato bent over and smoothed Laito's hair away from his forehead, placing a kiss there instead. "I'll leave Kanato outside in case you need anything."

The door closed behind Ayato, leaving his younger twin alone in the bedroom. After being denied any contact with the outside world for months, Laito was suddenly lavished with concern and affection from the least likely person. After being taunted for opening his heart and body to someone who claimed he loved him, Laito suddenly had someone willing to do the same for him.

"Hm?" He sniffed the air and turned his head some. A dark fedora with a green ribbon around it sat on the nightstand beside him, smelling heavily of his brother's hair. Ayato never was a hat person, so he rarely wore the thing. "Ayato-nii…"

The fedora was soft and warm on the outside, and the interior was lined with some kind of velvet. He held it close and inhaled the scent deeply. A sigh followed, and he finally felt comfortable enough to sleep. A smile graced his lips as he rolled over and fell asleep with the fedora bunched in his arms.

Hours later, Laito stirred from his heavy slumber at the sound of his twin's voice. His eyes fluttered open and a loud, lazy yawn tumbled from his throat. His pupils shrank when he saw all the people gathered in the room for his benefit; Ayato sat on the bed beside him with Subaru at his side, and Kanato and Shu stood in the doorway, all watching him.

"W-What's going on?" he asked with a vapid expression.

Ayato's grin stretched into his ears and he held Laito's hand while he spoke, "You're off the hook now, that's what! Eh, Shu? Mr. Head of the Household?"

Laito looked to his oldest sibling and saw a tiny smile ghost over his lips. He hardly believed it.

"At least this position is good for something," said the blonde, plucking an ear bud out and nodding to Laito. "How do you feel?"

"Oh, um…" The brunette blushed a little and hid under the sheets some. "Much better. Thanks to all of you guys…"

"What the…?" Subaru cocked an eyebrow and eyeballed the curious item in Laito's arms. "Isn't that Ayato's? Why are you – "

Kanato snorted and giggled behind them. Shu just shifted around awkwardly, and Subaru couldn't stop the blush that spread from his ears to his neck.

Ayato just grinned down at his twin and ruffled his chestnut hair. "If you like the damn thing that much then you can keep it. I never wear it anyway."

It felt weird thanking his brothers for something, but Laito poked his head out of the covers and murmured, "T-Thanks. Um, you guys really…Ah. I…"

"Yeah, yeah. W-We love you too…" murmured Subaru, turning his head to hide his flushed face.

Ayato leaned down and kissed his twin lightly on the lips, whispering in his ear, "But me most of all. I'm glad you're okay."

From that day forward, Laito never went _anywhere _without his precious fedora.

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><p><strong>Head canon about why Laito is so obsessed with his fedora. Seriously, though, Rejet fridges the FUCK out of these poor boys in the games. They deserve happy endings on occasion, right?<strong>


End file.
